Assemblages of wood‐inhabiting fungi along the gradients of succession and naturalness in boreal pine‐dominated forests in Fennoscandia

Abstract

2006. Assemblages of woodinhabiting fungi along the gradients of succession and naturalness in boreal pinedominated forests in Fennoscandia. Ecography 29: 75 Á/83. In boreal forests, the level of naturalness and the stage of succession explain most of the variation in forest structure within a particular forest type. Thus, these two factors should also have a major effect on species assemblages in forests, at least on species groups associated with wood. The present study is the first attempt to analyze empirically the simultaneous effects of forest succession and naturalness on woodinhabiting fungi, a taxonomic group of special ecological importance. The study area was situated in eastern Finland, middle boreal zone. A total of 41 study plots were established in Pinus sylvestris forests representing three levels of forest naturalness: natural, seminatural and intensively managed forests. Five stages of succession were distinguished according to the age of the dominating tree layer (B/10, 40, 70, 110, and /150 yr old), except in managed forests where only four stages were available. A total of 5328 records of 195 species of fungi were made. The first, open stage of succession was clearly the most species-rich period of succession in all levels of forest naturalness. In natural and seminatural forests, the first stage of succession was also very distinctive in its fungal composition, and thus of special value in protecting biodiversity in boreal forests. In the succession following the first stage, the level of naturalness had more effect on assemblages of fungi than did the stage of succession. Intensive forest management affects threatened species particularly. In conclusion, natural young stages of succession should also be included in the network of boreal forest reserves. K. Junninen

Silviculture as a disturbance regime: the effects of clear-cutting, planting and thinning on polypore communities in mixed forests

“…Previous chronosequence studies on polypores in dry boreal pine forests have demonstrated distinct communities in early-successional phase, and major effects of thinning and dead-tree removal later on (Sippola and Renvall 1999;Junninen et al 2006). My study complements that research by exploring nutrientrich mesic-to-wet lands further south where fires play a smaller role naturally and post-disturbance recovery is relatively rapid.…”

Stand structure and deadwood amount influences saproxylic fungal biodiversity in Mediterranean mountain unmanaged forests

“…Many researchers have studied the effect of forest management on saproxylic fungal communities, focusing on the effect of necromass reduction. The results of these studies converge to indicate that saproxylic fungal biodiversity decreases in managed forests with impacts over the community composition (Küffer & Senn-Irlet 2005b, Junninen et al 2006, Mül-ler et al 2007, Bassler et al 2012, Abrego & Salcedo 2013. The amount and quality of deadwood, as well as the size and type of woody debris (in particular logs), and also the species, age and size of trees are structural attributes of forests that influence the saproxylic fungal community and its species richness (Nordén & Paltto 2001, Heilmann-Clausen & Christensen 2003, Odor et al 2001, Junninen & Komonen 2011, Lassauce et al 2011.…”

Estimating species loss of saproxylic insects under scenarios of reduced coarse woody material in eastern boreal forests

“…Interestingly, species richness of wood-decomposing fungi, a potentially important resource for saproxylic Diptera, also responds to number of pieces of CWM rather than to volume of CWM sampled (Stokland 2001, Junninen et al 2006. It is possible that species richness of Diptera could be related to fungal species richness.…”